Game Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 4

June 16, 2011 | By andrewbares

Fans of the classic Sonic game may be excited to play it on their Windows Phone, but it may not live up to their expectations.

Overall Score: 2/5

Prepare to be disappointed. The gameplay isn’t as fun as the original, the controls are tricky, and the visuals are too confusing.

Gameplay: 2/5

You can either use touch or tilt controls, and the touch controls are the easiest for me. However, even with touch controls the game isn’t as easy to control as it would be with physical controls. Also, the gameplay feels a lot different than the original sonic, even though the level scenes are similar. For example, the special stages aren’t nearly as challenging anymore. Also, the viewing width seems smaller than normal, so it’s tougher to tell when enemies are coming up. If you’ve never played Sonic before, you might find this game interesting. However, for those who have played Sonic already will probably become frustrated by how the game has changed for the worse.

Presentation: 3/5

The visuals do look pretty good (minus the pixelation, which may be on purpose), but they can very rarely lag. The music is the same classic music and sounds great.

Lasting Value: 2/5

Like I said in the gameplay section, if you’re a fan of the original Sonic game, this game’s controls and different gameplay elements might force you to give up on playing the game. However, if you play it all through, you’ll get about two hours of gameplay. There is a Score Attack mode where you can compete for high scores, which increases the lasting value. However, even with that, the lasting value is below average since fans of the original Sonic will most likely become frustrated with the game.

Title: Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1
Price: $6.99
Publisher: SEGA

About Andrew Bares

As an avid gamer, I see the Windows Phone as a solid platform for mobile gaming. I will review almost every WP7 game and give you an idea if it is worth your money or not! In addition to gaming, I have been using Windows Mobile since 2005, and understand just about everything there is to know about the Windows Phone platform. Xbox Gamertag: DirtSurfer07 (add me!)

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Tagged WP7 Game Reviews, xbox live

Bazpants

I agree, I refuse to purchase this game for €6.50 instead I have purchased a old classic called “Tiki Towers” – A really good game 5*.
http://www.facebook.com/nizzon Johan Nilsson

As a user who never played Sonic, I think its strange that this game get 2/5 compared to some other reviews on this page.
Gfx looks nice and gameplay looks fast and fun.

http://twitter.com/domineus Malcolm Williams

personally the controls could use some more refining and there are some points of lag, but it plays exactly the same as it plays on the ipad/iphone variants. There won’t be a full console experience and to expect that is very unfair when Sega has frequently stated that different platforms will get different experiences.

That said, as an avid sonic fan, I think the game (save from the small control stick) is a very good addition to windows phone roster. The zoom button to zero in on enemies and objects is a fantastic addition and users get used to it fast. I don’t understand the underwhelming review of the game. IMHO it really does sound like a biased review

Ryo

I agree with both of you. I pay less and less attention to Andrew’s reviews everytime he posts one. I bet if this game had anything to do with Angry Birds, it would have received a higher score.

http://twitter.com/domineus Malcolm Williams

Not to be a prude, but if you can’t identify the iconic spin dash that was in sonic games since 1992, there is something VERY wrong…
I think the huge negative is the price of the game. IMHO it doesn’t necessarily justify purchase of the game. I think a 4.99 USD price point is much more manageable especially for a game that’s a year old. But the game in itself is very solid and enjoyable.
Speaking of angry birds…a new story I have to write =)
John

This Andrew guy has no idea how to review games.
John

This Andrew guy has no idea how to review games.

Anonymous

I agree. I tried the demo, but this is a clear case for a Chassis 3 design where a standard for Xperia Play slide out controls and support for 3rd party Bluetooth enabled snap on game pads for our devices could be supported. I’d love to be able to have real physical controls for my HD7 that could be detached when I want to travel light.

Anonymous

I also think it could be really great if each manufacturer could make their own HW accessories for their phones which could also connect to an XBox 360 as a controller. This could propel Windows Phone ecosystem to the next level by getting additional parties making devices that support the phone community. It could be really great.

Anonymous

I don’t get why some people want their phone to be a portable xbox, that’s just ridiculous. I’d rather have nice simple games like Cut the Rope or Game Dev Story meant to be played on a phone. Connect a 360 controller to your phone? Are you serious? What are we, 12 years old?

Val

Yes. We’re all 12.

There is nothing wrong with wanting an actual game on your phone, and you bought the wrong OS if you’re complaining about having Xbox360 on your device.
The iPhone even has sonic on it, an every OS has emulators that let people play games like this. Stop complaining, and don’t buy those games if this is your opinion, or move to Android where there are not many games at all worth playing.

Your response to people playing different types of games, serious or casual, on the mobile platform has rendered you the retarded 12 year old in my eyes.
Val

Yes. We’re all 12.

There is nothing wrong with wanting an actual game on your phone, and you bought the wrong OS if you’re complaining about having Xbox360 on your device.
The iPhone even has sonic on it, an every OS has emulators that let people play games like this. Stop complaining, and don’t buy those games if this is your opinion, or move to Android where there are not many games at all worth playing.

Your response to people playing different types of games, serious or casual, on the mobile platform has rendered you the retarded 12 year old in my eyes.

Anonymous

I understand that some people want “proper” games on their phone even if I couldn’t care less. But connect a 360 CONTROLLER? Really? That’s just ridiculous!
And since you can’t formulate an answer without insulting me I have a clear idea about which one of us is retarded.
Anonymous

I understand that some people want “proper” games on their phone even if I couldn’t care less. But connect a 360 CONTROLLER? Really? That’s just ridiculous!
And since you can’t formulate an answer without insulting me I have a clear idea about which one of us is retarded.

Strange

strange review. this game gets 2/5 eventhough it a fun and well made game, take for instance the framerate its perfect in this game !!!! and when you look at Hydra Thunder Go it gets better review than this game and Hydra Thunder Go has the worst framerate i have ever seen its so bad its unplayable…

In my opinion:

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: 4/5 stars.

Hydra Thunder Go: 1/5 stars.

Really dissapointed in this review so unfair… finally a game comes out that does not lag/stutter/serious framerate issues and it gets bashed…. i wish all the other crappy games on WP7 where this smooth to play.
Anonymous

i got this myself and i disagree with you

the visuals are good, there is plenty to explore
you get used to the controls, but they are not very intuitive

obviously experience will change depending on if you’re familiar with sonic or not, my guess is most people won’t really care and they’ll get the game anyway

overall it’s a couple hours of speedy fun but sure i agree there is no lasting value at all, but then that’s the type of game it is
which leads me to say that the price is a bit too high for this game

there are other xbox live games way better priced lower, and i would expect a price drop soon for this game

also it seems there will be other episodes to sonic, and if they’re each priced at $7 that is certainly a rip off – it would have been well to include more episodes for the price it already has
Anonymous

i got this myself and i disagree with you

the visuals are good, there is plenty to explore
you get used to the controls, but they are not very intuitive

obviously experience will change depending on if you’re familiar with sonic or not, my guess is most people won’t really care and they’ll get the game anyway

overall it’s a couple hours of speedy fun but sure i agree there is no lasting value at all, but then that’s the type of game it is
which leads me to say that the price is a bit too high for this game

there are other xbox live games way better priced lower, and i would expect a price drop soon for this game

also it seems there will be other episodes to sonic, and if they’re each priced at $7 that is certainly a rip off – it would have been well to include more episodes for the price it already has
Imp

does every statement have to sound like a question? it’s really very disconcerting.
Anonymous

i’m not even fully reading this description, but i bet this sonic game is an xbox live game, and i bet it sucks. especially for 7 freggin bucks